After four State of the State speeches, it's past time to deliver

Rich Miller On Government

Gov. Bruce Rauner knows how to talk a good game. But reading words someone else has written is not the same as getting things done.

Illinoisans "want a government where people come together to solve problems and get things done," Gov. Bruce Rauner said during his 2015 State of the State address. "They don't want partisan bickering, political infighting or personal conflict to get in the way of serving the needs of the families of Illinois."

"Together, we will do great things for the people of Illinois," he said. "The task ahead of us is daunting, and we have no time to waste."

A wasted year later, after months and months of hardheaded, partisan gridlock and no state budget, the governor delivered his second State of the State address.

"I understand that union leaders and trial lawyers are putting pressure on you to keep the status quo," Rauner told his audience of state legislators, many of whom (particularly the Democrats) didn't react so well. They believed (and still do) that they were legitimately resisting Rauner's attempts to bust unions with "right to work" laws and other proposals that went against their own principles.

"If each of us commits to serious negotiation based on mutual respect for our co-equal branches of government, there's not a doubt in my mind we can come together to pass a balanced budget alongside reforms," Rauner told the General Assembly in January 2016.

A year later, with no budget passed and the Democratic-controlled Legislature continuing to resist his pro-business, anti-union agenda, Rauner delivered his third State of the State address.

"Two years ago, when our administration came into office, we set about to return Illinois to a state of growth and opportunity," Rauner said in 2017. "We know that much in our state has been broken for many, many years; but we know that there is a way forward—there is a path to a better future for all Illinois families."

And then Rauner touted the bipartisan budget and reform negotiations in the Senate, which were known back then as the "grand bargain."

"It's heartening," Rauner said, "to see the Senate coming together on a bipartisan basis to acknowledge these changes are needed. Let's build on that cooperation to achieve a truly balanced budget and changes that really move the needle on job creation and property tax relief."

In the ensuing months, Rauner repeatedly derailed the Senate's bipartisan negotiations because they were just never good enough for him. The Senate Democrats finally gave up, and then a disgusted group of rank-and-file House Republicans crossed the aisle to team up with their Democratic colleagues to pass a budget and a tax hike over Rauner's veto.

And that brings us to his latest State of the State address, which was delivered Jan. 31, more than a year after all four legislative leaders and the governor had last met in the same room. The governor seemed even more positive and more hopeful than he had in his previous State of the State speeches.

"It takes a collaborative effort, a forget-about-the-politics-and-roll-up-our-sleeves kind of approach," the governor said of the task ahead to improve the state's economic, fiscal and ethical well-being. "It requires a laser-like focus on economic development and job creation and a bipartisan dedication to restore public trust."

As you can plainly see, Rauner knows how to talk a good game. But reading words someone else has written is not the same as getting things done. We've had three years of promises. It's past time to start figuring out how to keep some of them.